Cliff at our church has led it 3 or4 different times. Tonight was the 2nd week of the study that I am leading (for the 1st time). The format is not ingenious. The "marketing" of it is not slick. However, it is honest. Everyone knows what they are going to get: a Bible study in order to examine some basic questions about Jesus, a Bible study that will include reading the Bible themselves and being prepared to talk about questions concerning that reading. When I first learned of this study I thought: Could sharing the gospel really be this easy? Inviting people to a non-threatening "discussion" to explore Christianity? Would anyone be interested? Would anyone come?
Experience alone is telling me that it does "work" in the sense that some people do in fact come when they are invited. Will anyone be saved through this course? I can't say that for sure. What I can say is that it is providing a venue to share the gospel with people. This caused me to think about my own involvement in evangelism. I've always thought I wasn't very gifted at it. Despite my ease of talking to people, I've never felt very artful at leading conversations to spiritual issues.
As this study continues, so does my introspection. Convicting questions are arising. Maybe the problem with my involvement in evangelism has little to do with not having the right program or promotions. Maybe the problem all along has been my lack of faith or perhaps even being ashamed of the gospel.
God's plan includes saving people from all tribes and nations. What if it really is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation? What if I need to simply engage people to see if anyone is willing to hear it? My recent experience is telling me that these things are true. Ands, as it turns out, they bear out what I read in the Scriptures. God's man goes and tells men God's message of salvation. Sometimes they reject him. Sometimes God uses that message to transform them.
As I ponder, I am led to this: I'm thankful for the fact that the very good news with which I've been entrusted, tells me that there is no penalty I will ever face for my failures to carry it. This gives me freedom. It empowers me to change course. It give me hope that God can indeed use me in evangelism...despite what I have failed to do up to this point.
I was struck by the last paragraph. The good news I fail to share covers that very failure.
ReplyDeleteIf that doesn't spur me on to share about the gospel of Christ, I don't know what will!
God worked in the very same way in Turkey. In a country of Muslims if you invite them to a Bible study some will come to hear about Christ. Wow!